Caring for a newborn baby can be one of the most rewarding times in a person's life; it is also often one of the most taxing. When a new baby comes into the home, a whole new set of daily tasks comes with them. One (1) task that occupies much of a parent's time is the process of cleaning baby bottles after use. While the actual cleaning process is fairly straight forward, drying the bottles afterwards can cause many problems. If the bottles are placed upside down on a counter, the opening can become contaminated and this position traps moisture inside of the bottle making it more difficult to dry properly. Should the bottle be placed upright, excess rinse water will pool in the bottom causing extended drying time. Many parents resort to simply stuffing a kitchen towel inside with the aid of a long handled utensil, such as a spoon. Unfortunately, this process takes time and is often difficult due to the bulk of the towel compared to the bottle opening. Additionally, towels are commonly used for other tasks around the kitchen that may contaminate them with germs and bacteria which are then transferred to the interior of the bottle.
Various solutions have attempted to provide brushes and cleaning devices intended to clean the inside of baby bottles. These solutions typically utilize an elongated flexible rod or stem with a handle on a first end and a brush or bristled area on a second end. These devices are intended to make contact with the inside walls, base, and opening of the baby bottle. Some solutions additionally provide a motor assembly to provide a rotational cleaning motion to the brush head or bristle portion of the device. Other attempts provide brush heads with specially designed shapes for improved contact with interior walls or lower base surfaces. Typically the brush head or bristle portion are made of a stiff material to provide sufficient rigidity to adequately clean and scrub the interior of the bottles.
Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. Patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,747, issued in the name of Woodhouse, which describes a brush for cleaning bottles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,938, issued in the name of Baschenis, which describes a bottle brush assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,941, issued in the name of Liu, which describes a baby bottle cleaning device including dual brushes.
Additionally, ornamental designs for bottle brushes exist, particularly, U.S. Pat. Nos. D 335,223 and D 509,660. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, the referenced devices do not address the need to properly dry a washed baby bottle. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which baby bottles can be dried after washing without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.